Aces on Bridge — Daily Columns

The Aces on Bridge: Saturday, August 15th, 2015

The gods love the obscure and hate the obvious.

The Upanishads


S North
None ♠ Q 10 9 8 5
 9 4 3
 A K 2
♣ 8 7
West East
♠ K 7 4 3
 7 5
 8 6
♣ K Q 10 9 3
♠ 2
 K Q J 10 8
 J 10 9 5
♣ 6 5 4
South
♠ A J 6
 A 6 2
 Q 7 4 3
♣ A J 2
South West North East
1 NT 2 ♣* 3 ♠ Pass
3 NT All pass    

*Clubs and another suit

♣K

In today’s deal from a team game, one table played in three no-trump after West had shown clubs and a second suit, while the other table reached four spades on an unopposed auction

The South in three no-trump received a top club lead. As he did not want a heart shift, he took the lead and crossed to dummy with a diamond to the ace, East playing the jack, then ran the spade 10, which West ducked. A low spade came next and when East showed out, declarer took the ace and led out the spade jack, prepared to overtake if West ducked. West won and shifted to a heart, but South now claimed his nine top tricks.

In the room where South reached four spades, he too received a top club lead. Declarer won the club lead and started trump in the same way. West won the third trump and, mindful of East’s signal, shifted to a heart. Declarer ducked, and when the defense went back to clubs, he ruffed the third one and drew the last trump, squeezing East in the red suits.

Although at double dummy four spades can never be broken (so long as declarer leads trump from hand at trick two), there was a defense to the line chosen at the table which was so unlikely that I can’t blame West for missing it. He must duck the third spade! Now when he wins a spade or club trick he must play another diamond. This breaks up the timing for the squeeze.


Your partner has elected to follow a cuebidding route rather than using Blackwood. Follow his lead, and because you have a king you can show, bid five diamonds next. With five good trump, you are far too good to sign off, since you have already defined your range quite precisely at your first turn.

BID WITH THE ACES

♠ Q 10 9 8 5
 9 4 3
 A K 2
♣ 8 7
South West North East
    1 ♠ Pass
3 ♠ Pass 4 ♣ Pass
4 Pass 4 Pass
?      

For details of Bobby Wolff’s autobiography, The Lone Wolff, contact [email protected]. If you would like to contact Bobby Wolff, please leave a comment at this blog. Reproduced with permission of United Feature Syndicate, Inc., Copyright 2015. If you are interested in reprinting The Aces on Bridge column, contact [email protected].